Best Horse Racing Betting Sites in Ireland 2024

When reviewing horse racing betting sites, casinoireland.com prioritises factors such as licensing, safety, betting options, promotions, and payment methods. We also look for accessible user interfaces, varied betting markets, and dedication to mobile optimisation and customer support.

Licensing, Regulation, and Safety

Choosing a licensed horse betting site ensures safety and fair play. Licensing information is typically found in the website's footer or in the terms and conditions. Betting at a licensed sportsbook means that your personal information and payment details are kept secure. We list only licensed (MGA, Curacao, UKGC) sportsbooks to ensure secure betting environments.

Horse Racing Betting Odds

We compare odds from various bookmakers for multiple events to ensure you get the best value. Horse racing fans can also compare odds themselves by visiting various online sportsbooks to get information on the latest odds instantly.

Horse Racing Betting Markets

Reviewing betting markets involves taking a look at the variety of betting options for different events. It is important that a horse racing site can provide a variety of markets for both minor and major events. You can check the availability of diverse markets on your chosen sites even before registering.

Betting Offers and Promotions

Top sites offer exclusive promotions for horse racing fans, such as free bets, reload bonuses, cashback offers, and acca boosts. You can expect big promotional campaigns during major events such as the Kentucky Derby or Royal Ascot. Many horse racing betting sites also have a loyalty program allowing you to gain rewards from placing cash bets. Check our site regularly for the latest offers.

Payments

A diverse selection of accepted payment methods processed quickly is something to be expected with modern online sportsbooks. We consider supported payment options, minimum transaction amounts, payment processing speeds, and any possible fees to recommend the best options.

Betting Features

Features like cash-out, live streaming, and expert insights add value to your betting experience. These are a great way for a sportsbook to stand out from the crowd as it gives you more power to place well-informed bets with decreased risk.

Horse racing is immensely popular in Ireland, and the industry provided the Irish economy with an astounding €2.46 billion in 2022. The sheer amount of money coupled with major events such as the Irish Derby has cemented horse racing as a much-loved sport in Ireland. Betting on horses has never been easier, thanks to online sports betting sites, which are widely available in the country. That means you don't need to go down to the tracks to immerse yourself in the world of international and Irish horse racing.

Horse racing offers diverse betting options. In fact, one of the hardest things about getting into betting on horses is figuring out all the different options available to you.

• Win Bet: Betting on a horse to finish first. This is the most widely available bet you will find at an online sportsbook.
• Place Bet: Betting on a horse to finish in the top two or three.
  
• Show Bet: Betting on a horse to finish in the top three only.
  
• Exacta: Betting on the first two finishers in their exact order.
  
• Quinella: Betting on the first two finishers in any order.
  
• Trifecta: Betting on the first three finishers in their exact order.
  
• Superfecta: Betting on the first four finishers in their exact order.
  
• Daily Double: Betting on the winners of two consecutive races on a particular race day.
  
• Pick 3/Pick 4/Pick 5/Pick 6: Betting on the winners of three to six consecutive races on a particular race day. This is a bet that is usually incredibly high risk and high reward.
  
• Box Bet: Combining all possible betting combinations of a horse in the race to cover various outcomes.
  
• Wheel Bet: Betting on a horse to win while specifying the positions of other horses after 1st place.
  

Online horse racing betting sites show a lot of love during major events. This usually comes in the form of enhanced offers and entire promotional campaigns dedicated to a specific event. It is, therefore, a great opportunity for bettors to get the best deals of the year.

The Epsom Derby

A prestigious event held annually in June in Epsom, England. The event has been going on for centuries, with its grand opening all the way back in 1780. It features a purse of £1,604,000 (approximately €1,866,000) as well as top-class three-year-old thoroughbreds and is a favourite for bettors due to its competitive nature.

Melbourne Cup

Known as "the race that stops a nation," this event occurs every November in Australia. It is renowned for its rich history and significant betting turnover. There's a purse of A$8,410,000 (approximately €5,150,000) at this event that was first inaugurated in 1861.

Dubai World Cup

Held annually in March, this event in Dubai is one of the richest horse races globally, attracting top talent and substantial betting activity. This thoroughbred event is a more recent addition that first started in 1996 and carries a hefty purse of $12,000,000 (approximately €11,093,000).

The Kentucky Derby

An iconic American race that is held in Louisville, Kentucky every May. It is famous for its traditions and draws substantial betting interest due to its prominence. More than 150,000 people attend this world-famous event every year, which has been ongoing since 1875. A purse of $5,000,000 approximately €4,622,000) ensures stiff competition for riders of colts, geldings, and fillies.

Betting with blinkers on is a surefire way to ruin your bankroll. Effective bankroll management and using betting strategies are important to ensure that you are betting with a plan. You'll be far better off than those without one.

Tips For Novice Bettors

• Understand How to Read the Racing Form
  Knowing the prior performances of horses and jockeys can mean the difference between picking a winning bet and picking a dud. Racing forms allow you to get a comprehensive analysis of various stats for each horse in the race. This can include performances during recent races, distances raced, conditions of those races, and what sort of training the horse has undergone. You can use these stats to compare horses against each other and align the most comparable performers to the current event's conditions. Those who bet with this kind of information in mind are likely to place more winning bets than those without.
  
• Understand Class Levels in Horse Racing
  A horse's rating will determine what class it comes under. Different classes tend to work in a tiered system, with higher class levels reflecting a higher level of competition. Horses can move up and down the classes, which is good to pay attention to. A horse dropping in class will likely start to perform much better, for example. You can visit the International Federation of Horse Racing site and other websites to find useful information on class levels and stats.
• Watch Odds and Paddock Behaviour
  Horses have their own personalities, and their behaviour in the paddock can change from race to race. This can be a great indicator of what is to come, especially when live betting. A horse that is acting nervous or skittish might be too distracted to perform well, for instance. Odds makers will also be paying attention to this and will reflect the odds accordingly during in-play betting.
  

Tips For Bettors With Experience

• Choose a Specific Type of Race
  Horse racing is incredibly diverse, with various requirements for different events. A horse's class, breed, and track conditions are just some of the ways in which a race event can differ from another. It is, therefore, more effective to specialise in a specific type of race to consolidate your betting knowledge and foster more analytical and precise wagering.
• Use Handicap Bets
  Handicap betting allows you to even the odds when there are favoured horses in the race. A highly favoured horse will have a low payout potential, which is rectified through a handicap. The handicap will add extra weight to a horse based on its likelihood of winning. Using this in combination with stats such as individual race segment times and the impact of race day medication changes will allow you to make much more informed betting decisions.
  
• Start To Use Hedging and Arbitration
  Hedging and arbitration can be very time-consuming, but they provide an enticing path to more effective betting. This involves comparing odds across various bookies and looking for markets that have comparative odds on opposing outcomes. In a two-horse race, one site may have good odds on horse A to win, while another has equal odds that favour horse B more. You can hedge your bets on both horses to win across both sites and potentially come away with a profit in either scenario. This is complicated due to races involving more than two horses, which is why bets such as box and wheel bets will need to be used to make this strategy effective.
  

Ireland is a great horse racing betting nation. With major events hosted all over the world, you can always expect to find odds on the latest events. Betting on the horses has never been easier, with so much choice when it comes to picking a bookie. In fact, the hardest part of getting started is finding the right horse betting site for you. Do yourself a favour by checking back with us for the latest insights and horse racing betting offers.